Privacy may seem to be a quaintly old-fashioned idea in our "look at me" era, yet for some of our great writers, a new name—even a new personality—was essential to creative freedom. Carmela Ciuraru (her real name) plumbs the creative process and the darker, often crippling aspects of fame in this exploration of 18 authorial impostors, including Mark Twain, Isak Dinesen, George Eliot, Lewis Carroll, George Sand, the Brontës, Fernando Pessoa, and Patricia Highsmith.

"In 1899, William Sydney Porter began writing as O. Henry: 'Because he used an intermediary in New Orleans to submit his stories to editors, no one knew they were by a convicted felon.' Eric Blair became George Orwell with his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London, telling his publisher, 'I am not proud of it.' An outstanding chapter details how Alice Sheldon spotted 'Tiptree' on a marmalade jar and then fooled the science fiction community for years as James Tiptree Jr. When the ruse was revealed, 'She was crushed to find that some of the male writers she'd considered friends ... turned their backs on her.'... This survey of authors who sought anonymity and privacy is well researched. Amid informative, illuminating profiles, Ciuraru successfully ferrets out curious literary charades."—Publishers Weekly

"A fascinating collection of stories—populated by individuals whose 'doubleness' is so distinct that they acquire secondary personalities, and, in some notable cases, multiple personalities. It's a richly documented literary excursion into the inner, secret lives of some of our favorite writers."—Joyce Carol Oates